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Lizardkin
Lizardkin (or Lizardmen) are a race commonly seen living underground and in extremely humid environments. They are divided into 3 different sub-species: Shulkers, Ambushers, and Lurkers. Anatomy The Lizardkin themselves seem to have been altered throughout history. Their own records reference three unique variations of the Lizardkin, with each variant designated to a specific role. This seems to have been cast off in their arrival to Ludwag, with further physical differences arising. Despite the physical permutations, the Lizardkin all share the same baseline intelligence, on par or even above the average human. Unlike their smaller brethren, Lizardkin are warmblooded, but are more vulnerable to colder temperatures, lacking any way to keep warm apart from clothing. While the physical appearance varies, Lizardkin share a basic appearance. Most Lizardkin have elongated snouts, with a thin row of teeth that is usually hard to see. Their eyes are reptilian, being akin to a bulge with a very thin, sharp-looking pupil - each of them positioned along the side of their head. Their snouts are structured in a way that narrows their skull out along the front, giving them eyesight along the front part of their body. They are loosely scaled over their full body, broken only with patches of skin to allow full movement. Their larger eyes feature a double eyelid, seemingly unblinking and only closing to sleep. Their ears are no more than holes in the side of their head that they can seal at will, usually for swimming. Their bipedal legs are similar to other races, but their hands and feet feature webbing to aid in swimming, and are topped with natural claws. As a species average, Lizardkin rarely live over 60 years. Unique attributes can range from larger or smaller scales, horns on their head and face, and even frills along their neck or as pseudo-ears. Height and build can vary broadly as well, with heights ranging from 4 to 6 feet tall. Strangely, not all Lizardkin sport a tail, and those that do vary greatly in both length and appearance. Psychology & Society Originally, Lizardkin psychology was highly primal, with the intellectual subspecies reigning at the top, but as time passed, the Lizardkin's differences soon evened out to be strictly physical. With their spread to Ludwag, they have become much more humanoid than once believed, and have made lengths to shed a weak beastly past. Mostly seen wandering alone and rarely seen in groups larger than a few dozen, Lizardkin are seemingly nomadic solitary hunter-gatherers on the surface, but occasionally assemble in underground homes hidden in cave systems. Led by Elders, Lizardkin orally pass on their histories and memories. These stories are kept secret from non-Lizardkin, with scholars only able to speculate and piece together what little has been overhead. Lizardkin tribes sole purpose is the continued balance of the wildlands, leaving nothing to waste. Despite being omnivores, Lizardkin consist mainly off wild fruits and vegetables, only eating meat when they find a dead or dying animal. Given a large enough animal, the Lizardkin tribe will assemble to quickly scavenge the body, before once again disseminating into the wilderness. In times of great imbalance, Lizardkin Elders form a council to plan a response. These cases are few and far between, but most notably is the Lizardkin response to the Corruption plaguing the north. Understanding the threat to the natural balance, Lizardkin have flocked to assist the Praetic Order. History The Lizardkin are a rather primitive society when compared to other races, and build their structures underground. The Lizardkin prefer to keep to themselves, however have fought and allied with humans and other races in the past. It is even said that they offered gifts to the humans in return for some of the technology that the humans have been given by the Dwarves. In present day, The Lizardkin’s numbers are dwindling, and they prefer to keep to themselves in their underground strongholds. Lizardkin as a race are not native to Ludwag. Centuries before, a great nation located on the continent of Trepheon known as Dormia rose to control the majority of the Trepheon landmass. It was these Dormians who, though the reasoning now lost, relocated a majority of the Lizardkin through a mass exodus. These wayward travelers finally washed ashore to Ludwag, and disseminated into the jungle and marshlands. While no human or elven records stretch far back or specifically enough for an accurate timeline, verbal retelling passed down through both Lizardkin and Tachtan elders reveal that the two races quickly bonded into a symbiotic relationship. The relatively shorter lived Lizardkin offered the numbers to help defend the carefully curated ecosystem, and the Tachtans longer lives gave the steady leadership to maintain the alliance. In modern times, the two races are still cordial, two sides of the same coin in protection of the lush jungles and marshes of Ludwag. The Lizardkin are a rare sight to outsider races, as their underground homes are fiercely protected. While their simple bronze technology seems inferior to the steel of the Lattish and other empires, all of their creations are elaborately and expertly crafted. Lizardkin merchants are rarely seen but highly sought, as their exotic goods and exquisite details are considered by some as a status symbol of decadence.